P¨¦rez, Hernandez win AL Gold Glove Awards
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CLEVELAND -- For the second consecutive year, the Indians had two players bring home Gold Glove Awards.
On Tuesday night, Rawlings announced that Tribe catcher Roberto P¨¦rez and second baseman Cesar Hernandez won 2020 Gold Glove Awards at their respective positions. It was Hernandez¡¯s first career Gold Glove and P¨¦rez¡¯s second.
P¨¦rez won his first Gold Glove in 2019, his first season as the Tribe¡¯s starting backstop. He¡¯s only the second catcher in franchise history to win multiple Gold Gloves, joining Ray Fosse (1970 and ¡®71). For the second straight season, P¨¦rez did not allow a passed ball. The last time he permitted a passed ball was Sept. 4, 2018, which is the longest such streak by an MLB catcher since ¡®05 (Dan Wilson, 180 games).
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Of the four player options that were on the table for Cleveland heading into the offseason, it only picked up P¨¦rez¡¯s $5.5 million option for next season, and his defense is a big reason why. He¡¯ll carry a 126-game errorless streak into 2021, and he led all Major League catchers in caught-stealing percentage in ¡®20, throwing out 10 of 14 (71 percent) potential basestealers. He also finished third in the AL in defensive runs saved (six).
Hernandez wasn¡¯t just one of the Tribe¡¯s most consistent bats this season, but he is now the first Indians second baseman to win a Gold Glove since Roberto Alomar in 2001. Hernandez finished second among AL second basemen in defensive runs saved (six) and first in innings (503 2/3 innings), while posting a .981 fielding percentage. His 4.7 Defensive Runs Above Average, according to FanGraphs, led all MLB second basemen.
The 30-year-old Hernandez is currently a free agent, but he has expressed his desire to stay in Cleveland. The Indians are hoping they¡¯ll have enough financial flexibility to bring him back for the 2021 season.